The present invention relates generally to floating docks and more particularly to such docks with clips for carrying utility lines connected to an outboard side of the dock.
Floating docks for yachts and other types of vessels frequently include utility lines extending along or within buoyant wharf modules forming the dock. The utility lines typically extend to utility towers on outboard sides of the dock, for connection to the yachts and other vessels.
The co-pending, commonly assigned, application entitled xe2x80x9cFloating Dock Including Buoyant Wharf Modules and Method of Making Such Modules,xe2x80x9d Lowe Hauptman Gopstein Gilman and Berner Docket 4432-001, filed Oct. 25, 1999, discloses an arrangement wherein utility lines extend along a floating dock including two rows of side-by-side modules having a lengthwise gap between them. The utility lines extend in tubes connecting the side-by-side modules together.
The arrangements disclosed in our co-pending application, as well as in other prior art patents, wherein the utility lines extend along the interior of the dock, have the disadvantage of difficult access to the utility lines when maintenance of the lines is required. In addition, the amount of space available for the utility lines is frequently insufficient to provide communication and power to a substantial number of yachts and other vessels that dock at relatively large floating docks. Access from the utility lines in the interior of the dock to the utility towers on the outboard side of the dock is somewhat difficult in many of the prior art arrangements.
Finn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,780, discloses an arrangement wherein wales on an outboard side of floating wharf modules of a floating dock carry brackets for holding utility lines, such as water and fuel lines. The brackets are arranged so that a floor of the bracket carries a water or fuel line. The line occupies a volume between vertical walls of each bracket and each float module to which each bracket is connected by two or more side-by-side wales. The floor has an edge spaced from each module so there is a gap between the bracket and the buoyant module side wall. A lag bolt extending vertically into a bottom face of a wale connects the bracket to the wale.
A disadvantage of the Finn structure is that utility lines the bracket floor carries can possibly slip through the gap between the bracket and the module side wall. In addition, the floor of the bracket which carries the utility lines can bend, either under the load of the utility lines or in response to external forces applied to the bracket, for example, in response to a collision between a vessel and the dock.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved floating dock with a new and improved structure for carrying utility lines.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved floating dock having a structure for carrying utility lines on an outboard side of the dock, wherein the structure is arranged so that the possibility of the utility lines falling from the structure is virtually eliminated.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved floating dock having a structure for carrying utility lines on an outboard side of the dock.
Still an additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved floating dock having a structure for carrying utility lines on an outboard side of the dock and wherein a rod which is used to hold a wale in place also holds one end of the structure in place.
One aspect of the invention relates to a floating dock for carrying utility lines that comprises an elongated pier portion including a wale arrangement on an elongated outboard side. Plural utility clips carrying the utility lines are fixedly mounted to the wale arrangement and the outboard side. The utility clips are arranged and positioned to completely enclose a volume in which the utility lines can be located.
Another aspect of the innovation concerns a floating dock for carrying utility lines that comprises an elongated pier portion including a wale arrangement on an elongated outboard side. Plural utility clips carrying the utility lines are fixedly mounted on the wale arrangement and the elongated outboard side. Plural transverse rods extend to the elongated outboard, side. Each of the clips includes a wall with an opening through which one of the rods extends. A fastener arrangement connects the rods to the wale arrangement. The fastener arrangement causes a force to be exerted on the wale arrangement and the wall to hold the wall of each clip in place relative to the wale arrangement.
In a preferred embodiment, the wale arrangement includes first and second wales having adjacent sides. The wall fits between and abuts the adjacent sides so the adjacent sides exert a compressive force on the wall to hold the wall in situ.
The wale arrangement also preferably includes a third wale having a side abutting a side of another wale of the wale arrangement. The first and second wales are between the third wale and the remainder of the dock. The third wale has a surface abutting and fixedly connected to a surface dock of the clip.
The dock preferably includes a plurality of wharf modules. On of the rods and plural further rods extend transversely of each of the modules and through the wale arrangement. The fastener arrangement holds all the rods, modules and wales together.
An additional aspect of the invention concerns a floating dock for carrying utility lines that comprises an elongated pier portion having an elongated outboard first side and another elongated second side substantially parallel to and opposite from the first side. Plural utility clips mounted on the first side carry some of the utility lines. A structure mounted on the second side carries others of the utility lines. A structure mounts a utility tower in proximity to one of the sides on a deck of the dock. The dock includes a solid buoyant lower portion having a tunnel extending between the first and second sides for carrying at least one utility line from the side opposite to the one side to the one side. The tunnel ends on the one side close to the mounting structure so that the utility line extending through the tunnel can extend into the utility tower.
Preferably the dock includes a depression in the one side. The depression includes an opening in the deck close to the mounting structure. The utility tower includes an opening in its base. The mounting structure and the openings in the deck and the base are such that the utility lines entering the tower go through the depression and the openings.
An added aspect of the invention relates to a floating dock for carrying utility lines that comprises an elongated pier portion having an elongated side. Plural utility clips fixedly mounted on the elongated side carry utility lines. Each of the clips has a metal floor carrying a non-metallic spacer arrangement extending above the floor for preventing contact of the utility lines with the floor.
Preferably the spacer arrangement for each clip includes a pair of tubes each having an elongated slit and made of an electric insulator. Each clip has opposite substantially parallel edges. One of the tubes is carried by each edge so that each edge extends into a slit of the tube associated with each edge.
The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed descriptions of a specific embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.